The limited edition of last years' "Coochie Brake" abum included two discs: "Coochie Brake" and "Lying Horse Rock". Next to this limited edition (of 444 copies), a regular single album version of "Coochie Brake" got released as well.So here's "Lying Horse Rock" again. This time released as a CDR-on-demand album. And, as an expanded album. It includes three bonus tracks.

Zappanale had taken a nice start on Tuesday in the little town of Bad Dobaran. It continued with the first concerts on the festival grounds on Wednesday, August 1.

Originally, Gary Lucas had been scheduled to open the festivities with a solo set, but somewhere down the line the program had been rearranged and so we got treated to Ben Watson who gave a lecture on Captain Beefheart.Ben Watson stated that Don Van Vliet did not write in English but in Internationalist Dada Tongue Ballet.Ben proved his point by reciting one of his own poems and by having various people reading translated Beefheart lyrics in a language that was not their own.

Monday, August 27, 2012

Facing
2 years in jail for singing a song criticizing President Putin in a church, a
member of Pussy Riot gestured to the court and said in her show-trial's closing
statements, "Despite the fact that we are physically here, we are freer
than everyone sitting across from us ... We can say anything we want..."

Russia
is steadily slipping into the grip of a new autocracy -- clamping down on
public protest, allegedly rigging elections, intimidating media, banning gay
rights parades for 100 years, and even beating critics like chess master Garry
Kasparov. But many Russian citizens remain defiant, and Pussy Riot's eloquent
bravery has galvanized the world's solidarity. Now, our best chance to prove to
Putin there is a price to pay for this repression lies with Europe.

The
European Parliament is calling for an assets freeze and travel ban on Putin's
powerful inner circle who are accused of multiple crimes. Our community is
spread across every corner of the world -- if we can push the Europeans to act,
it will not only hit Putin's circle hard, as many bank and have homes in
Europe, but also counter his anti-Western propaganda, showing him that the
whole world is willing to stand up for a free Russia. Click below to support
the sanctions and tell everyone:

Last
week's trial is about far more than three women and their 40-second 'punk
prayer'. When tens of thousands flooded the streets to protest rigged
elections, the government threw organisers into jail for weeks. And in June
Parliament effectively outlawed dissent by raising the fine for unsanctioned
protest an astounding 150-fold, roughly the average Russian's salary for a
whole year.

Pussy
Riot may be the most famous Russian activists right now, but their sentence is
not the grossest injustice of Putin's war on dissent. In 2009, anti-corruption
lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who uncovered a massive tax fraud at the heart of
Russia's power dealers, died in jail -- without a trial, on shaky charges, and
with medical attention repeatedly denied. 60 of Russia's elite have been under
scrutiny for the case and its cover-up, and the sanctions the European
Parliament is proposing are on this inner circle.

International
attention to Russia's crackdown is cresting right now, and the 'Magnitsky
sanctions' are the best way to put the heat on Putin and help create breathing
room for the suffocating democracy movement. Let's give Europe's leaders a
global public mandate to adopt the sanctions. Sign the petition now and share
this with everyone:

What
happens in Russia matters to us all. Russia has blocked international
coordination on Syria and other urgent global issues, and a Russian autocracy
threatens the world we all want, wherever we are. The Russian people face a
serious challenge, but we know that people-powered movements are the best cure
for corruption and iron-fisted governments -- and that international solidarity
can help keep the flame of these movements alive. Let's join together now to
show Putin that the world will hold him to account and push for change until
Russia is set free.

On September 13 and 14
our polymorphic avant-marching band Asphalt Orchestra will make its first West
Coast appearance, bringing both its inventive indoor show and its guerrilla
outdoor performances to the stages and streets of sunny Southern California.

On
September 13 at 8pm,

Asphalt Orchestra presents Unpack the Elephant at Cal
State Northridge, bringing the band's iconoclastic spirit to the stage with an
electric show featuring music by Frank Zappa, David Byrne and Annie Clark,
Björk, and new music by members of the band. The show is a wild musical ride
driven by the tunes with Asphalt physically bringing the music to life.

On
Friday, September 14 from 12-1pm,

Asphalt Orchestra morphs into an outdoor
flash force, springing jazz, prog-rock, and world music on the transient masses
of downtown LA. Presented by Arts
Brookfield on the plazas of three Brookfield buildings (see exact locations
here) these flash sets feature music written for the band by luminaries
including STEW and Heidi Rodewald, Goran Bregovic, Tatsuya Yoshida and more,
regaling fans and unsuspecting bystanders alike.

Saturday,
September 1st, and Sunday, September 2nd, 2012, Chapel
Hill, North Carolina, USA

ProgDay is an annual outdoor festival of progressive music featuring
artists from all over the world. Some bands have come from as close as Raleigh,
North Carolina, and others from as far away as Sweden, Italy, Venezuela and
Indonesia. ProgDay has been held every year since it's birth in 1995, making it
the longest running progressive rock event in the world.

Intro, A Pound For A Brown, Carolina Hardcore Ecstasy,
Cheepnis, Debra Kadabra, I`m the Slime, Sofa No 1, Oh No, Son of
Orange County, Trouble Every Day, San Ber'dino, Peaches en
Regalia, Village of the Sun, Echidna's Arf (Of You), Holiday In
Berlin, Aybe Sea, Little House I Used To Live In (Pt1), Merry
Christmas Baby, Little House (Pt 2), Penguin in Bondage, Pygmy
Twylyte, Dummy Up (feat The Message), Anything You Wanna Do Is
Alright

B13, the Italian lable that brought us a vinyl album of the Zappa acetate, and also two Sun Ra albums, all in a limited edtion of 500 copies, on coloured vinyl and in their trademark transparant cover, is releasing another batch of albums.
Here's a few that might interest your weird friends:

Psychofon Records is now accepting pre-orders for "Ostrich Von Nipple Plays Some Shitty tunes".You can buy the CD individually or purchase it within a "Street Art" bundle. The bundle contains the CD with 3-D animation cover, an OVN button, a B/W OVN sticker, and a glow in the dark OVN t-shirt. Also, the first seven orders will be packaged with a flying saucer. Get this EP while you can!

Monday, August 20, 2012

2012/02/10,
Chato Segerer performed at the Yellow Snow Festival in Bølgen, Larvik in
Norway.

He
performed a solo set on the guitar (and keyboards). Jan Barfod sang vocals on two Beefheart
tunes, and Ike Willis sat in on vocals and guitar on two Zappa tunes.

Later, during the Muffin Men concert, Chato got invited to take the stage and to join in.

The below picture shows Chato during his gig at the Yellow Snow
Festival.

Picture by Max Schindler.I'm listening to an audience recording this concert right now (Check out Zappateers). Sounds pretty amazing.

Chato will be performing with The Muffin Men later this month at the MMMG (Muffin Men Manchester Gig).Actually, it's the first time that The Muffin Men will play in Manchester, so better try to be there !
Thursday 30th August, 2012 - The Muffin Men with special guest Chato Segerer at The Attic in Manchester, UK.
(which is under Oxford Road station in the centre of Manchester opposite The
Refuge building)

Zappanale #23 counted four days of festival: from Wednesday until Saturday. Add Heavy Guitar Day on Sunday and you get a total of five days of festival.Wowie zowie...

I wanted to be at the festival ground on time on Wednesday to catch Ben Watson who would be doing his Beefheart lecture at about 14:00 h.Considering the eight-hour drive and the essential check-in, I decided to leave on Tuesday. The advantage would be that I would be able to check out the warm-up party in the little town of Bad Dobaran, see some of those bands, and that I would have a fresh start on Wednesday.

Four bands were scheduled to perform at the warm-up party: High Pink, Zappnoise, Bad Penny, and the Karol Schwarz All Stars. That sounded good enough to me.

So let me start by telling you that it is very difficult to describe the effect that driving into Bad Doberan Zappatown has on me. It's an emotional thing. You know that you're in for a good time. You'll be meeting friends and you'll be sharing some great music.I've been going to Zappanale since 2002 and every time that I returned, it felt like coming home. I don't want to sound to corny about it, being from another planet and all that, but it does give one a special feeling.

After a short walk in the park, and meeting Bas, Evelien & Luuk, I checked in at the guesthouse and returned to catch the start of the first concert. High Pink performed Deep Purple material. I guess their name should have told me... I went for a meal in order to be in time for Zappnoise.

Zappnoise had played at last year's warm-up party as well. Their setlist hadn't changed much, but their line-up had.

It's obvious that Zappnoise is a hobby project and that these guys are not professional musicians, but they did a fine job creating the necessary vibes & atmosphere for a warm-up party.

Next up was a band with a sitar player. Quite nice. Must have been the Karol Schwarz All Stars? Too bad that there was no way to see which band was on.Fans and freaks from all over the world were dropping in: Ivan, Tim, Chantal, Sascha, Auke, Heidi, Eric, Chato, Stevie, Max, Klaus, Jan, Eelco, Luuk, Audrey, Dave, Nicola, Gary Lucas, Steve, Mary-Jayne, Joe, and many more... And then the power supply went down in the entire town.Too bad for Bad Penny who wanted to rock, but most of the attendees didn't care too much.
Fun.

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Pete Griffin's Gryphon Labs will be doing a concert at the Roxy Theater in L.A. next Wednesday.

Wednesday, August 22 at 7:30 p.m. !

Gryphon Labs = Pete Griffin, Joe Travers & Jamie Kime.
These are names that you might be familiar with if you followed Dweezil Zappa's Zappa plays Zappa project.(In the meantime, both Pete Griffin and Jamie Kime have left ZpZ.)

The
Cry of Jazz (1959) Dir. Edward Bland Space Is the Place
(1974) Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise (1980) Sun Ra -
Brother from Another Planet directed by Don Letts, 2005 I can highly recommend the "Brother from Another Planet" documentary that got broadcast on BBC4 in 2005. With contributions from Archie Shepp and Thurston Moore amongst others.

I think I only have one or two albums with music of Olivier Messiaen.
I do know that 'Turangalila' is not on them, which is a pity.

The above YouTube movie has 'Turangalila' performed by the Orchestra Philharmonique de Radio France.
And there's a an new release with a version by the Bergen Philharmonic out on the British Hyperion label...

Album sales might be dropping, and the CD is said to be nearly dead, but vinyl albums are making their re-entry.Buddah is re-releasing Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band's famous "Mirror Man" album. As an exact repro, on 180 g.

August 22, 2012, Bobby Marquis will broadcast a Humble Grumble special on
Canadian CKCU-FM radio.

It's webradio as well.

Bobby says:Humble Grumble performed at the Zappanale 2012 this
August. Their progressive rock style is very unique featuring 2 female vocalists
, a horn and string section , and a driving rhythm section which incorporates
rock, jazz , fusion and the bizarre antics from lead vocalist Humble Gabor , who
at times can sound like Jello Biafra and Thijs Van Leer.

TIME
ZONES

3:30 PM EAST IN CANADA / USA12:3O PM WEST IN CANADA /
USA8:30 PM IN THE U.K.9:30 PM IN EUROPE

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Februari 2011, Adrian Belew performed with the dutch Metropole Orkest, performing his piece 'e', in an arrangement by Tom Trapp. The composition 'e' had been previously recorded by the Adrian Belew power trio. The concert got broadcast on dutch national radio on March 24, 2011. And it will be re-broadcast on August 16, 2012.

Full
album dvd-a lossless
Surround
sound
Dts 5.1 surround sound and original mix & new mix in high resolution
stereo
Bonus tracks in hi-res
stereo: 10 tracks of alternate
takes & versions
Mixed by
steven wilson from original
multitracks.
Bonus video: short
video clip of 21st century schizoid
man ss performed at hyde park july 1969

The two Buff volumes will be in a DVD-sized case with the appropriately
sized 24-page colour booklets. Each volume will have 5 unreleased tracks, and
nearly all of the recordings have never been on CD before. Release is scheduled in October.

The Birmingham Sunday had their 1968 album recorded at Original
Sound with Paul Buff engineering. This album collects the original album, the demos and much more.

Greg Russo also said that three more Buff-engineered albums will be coming shortly, and that a Pal vocal
box is in the works.

lectures by Jono El Grande and Bjørn
Olav Herheim on Zappa's time at PAL and on Frank Zappa as classical
composer

Christian M. Berg (solo percussion
Oslo Philharmonic), musicians from Oslo Philharmonic and students at
the Norwegian Academy of Music will perform music by composers who
influenced Frank Zappa and one of Zappa's own works.

Selections from the new Steve Vai Album " The Story Of Light"
will be heard on the (online) radio for the first time, in the Dutch
radio show Co Live!, hosted by Co de Kloet. The show is produced by Dutch Public
Broadcasting company NTR, leading in arts and culture, for Radio 6 Soul &
Jazz. Working together since 1981, Steve & Co see this world premiere as a
logical step in their cooperation and friendship.

The 5 hours
live-extravaganza CoLive! that evening will be devoted completely to The
Guitar.